Sign



Patented Jan. 27, 1942 SIGN Cornelius Hendricks, Grand Rapids, Mich.,as-

signor to Applied Arts Corporation, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corpor ationof Michigan Application May 9, 1940, Serial No. 334,207 5 Claims. (Cl.40-140) This invention relates in general to signs and particularly to anovel construction for house numbers, which may be either secureddirectly to a house or which may be connected to the upper end of a rodor post extending into the ground. While in the preferred embodiment ofthe invention as disclosed herein I have shown ner in which the figuresare mounted upon a main support. The support is provided with an off-setcentral portion which results in a forward- 1y extending ledgetherearound spaced from the,

edge thereof. A plurality of plates are provided each of which has anopening therein of the con- 'tour of the figure to be mounted thereon.The

figure itself is provided with a rearwardly and then outwardly extendingflange around the periphery thereof. The figure is inserted through theopening in theplate from the rear side thereof so that .the outwardlyextending .fiange abuts against the rear side of the plate. "The disk isprovided with rearwardly extending ears some of which are bentdownwardly against the outwardly extending flange on the figure to holdit in place and others of said ears are adapted to rest onthe ledge ofthe support. A

rimor frameis then secured to the resulting structure at the frontsidethereof having a rearwardly and then inwardly extending flangethereon which bears against the upper and-lower sides ofthe plates tohold them in place. Another phase of the invention is the novel clampingmeans I have provided by means of which they sign. may beconnected toapost in the ground.v e. f Y

Other objects l.and .purposes of the invention which have not beenspecifically mentioned here- Y in will appearmore fully as thedescription prol. ceeds.

y To-the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends saidinvention, then, consists of the means hereinafter-fully described andparticularly pointed outin the claims. -ing and l certain means forcarrying out my invention, sa1d r means constituting, however, but oneof the varia The annexed drawfollowing description set forth in detailous ways in which the principle of theinvention may be employed. Y

In said annexed drawing, wherein like reference numerals refer to likeparts throughout the various views:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational View of the sign as it appears attached tothe upper end of a rod inserted in the ground.

Fig. 2 is a part elevational, part sectional view taken substantially onthe plane of line 2 2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a central vertical section through the sign.

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of one of the disks having a gure mountedthereon, with parts broken away to more clearly show the structure.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken substantially on theplane of line 5--5 of Fig. 2, and Y Fig. 6 is a fragmentary verticalsection through the connecting means between the sign and the post,showing part of the assembly in side elevation. f

Referring now more particularly to the drawfing,the main supporting partof the sign comprises a rear support having a centrally and forwardlyoff-set portion I which provides the upper and lower ledges 2 and 3 andthe end ledges 4. From these ledges,LV the metal is then bent outwardlyas at 5 and terminates in a forwardly extending flange 6r which extendsaround vthe periphery of the support and is slightly convex.

A plurality of plates 1 is provided uponwhich l the various figures aremounted and each of which is provided at its upper and lower edges andat the corners thereof with rearwardly extending ears 8. In the assemblyof this portion of the structure, the ears 8 are adapted to bearagainstthe respective upper and lower ledges 2 and 3 as clearly shown inFig. 3.

Each plate is provided with an opening therein substantially of the samecontour as the figure Vwhich is to be mounted thereon.A In'theparticular assembly shown in Fig. 4, the numeral 'l is mounted on theplate and in this figure the disk will have an opening therein of theshape of the'l which it is to receive. self, indicated .at 9, is shownas being formed of The number ita light reflecting material particularlyof a char- `acter referred to hereinbefore although" it is to beunderstood that any other suitable material y maybe used if desired.`Each figure is provided f with arearwardly extending flange IIJ aroundthe periphery thereof which, in turn, terminates in the outwardlyextending ange ll.` In the assembly of this part of the structure, thefigure is inserted through the opening in the plate I from the rear sidethereof so that it will protrude a distance from the front side. Theoutwardly extending flange II then abuts against the rear side of theplate I to prevent its removal therefrom from the front side of thestructure.

The plate I is also provided with other ears I2 which extend rearwardlyfrom the upper and lower edges thereof and which are bent downwardlyfrom the top or upwardly from the bottom against the rear side of thefiange I I to hold the ligure in place. Obviously, the particularlocation .and number of these ears I2 will depend upon the shape of thefigure mounted on the plate. For example, as shown in the drawing, forthe numeral 1 there is required two ears at the upper edge of the plateand one at its lower edge, while for the cipher only one ear isnecessary at the upper and lower edge thereof. and number of these earswill also vary with other numerals or letters but the function thereofremains the same.

To complete this part of the structure, a front rim or frame I3 isprovided which, at itsv inner edge extends rearwardly for a distance asat I4 and then terminates in the flange I5. The outer edge thereofextends rearwardly to form the flange I6 also slightly convex. Thefiange 6 on the support is of the same contour as the.`

flange I6 on the front rim and is adapted to be telescoped therein tosecure the rim in place. When the various plates I have been located andmounted on the support so that the ears 8 thereof res-t on therespective ledges 2 and 3,.

and the figures mounted thereon as above described, the inwardlyextending flanges I will bear against the upper and lower edges of thefront side of the plates to hold them in place and prevent anydisplacement thereof. To se-1 curely hold the frame or rim I3 in place,it is provided with downwardly extending ears II from the rear edge ofthe ange I6, which ears are received in the openings I8 in the upperflange 6 of the support. This construction is more clearly shown in Fig.3.

It is contemplated -that these signs will be made in standard sizes andwill accommodate from one to any desired number of figures and plates.herein, the sign is adapted to receive a maximum of five figures,although only four are actually used. In order to use a lesser number offigures than the sign is capable of receiving one or more of the blankplates I9 are utilized at each end,r

of the series of figures. These blank plates yare merely to ll in theunused space. At each end of the structure, and extending forwardly fromthe end ledges 4 of the rear support are the ears which provide stopsagainst which the end blank plates I9 may bear to prevent anylongitudinal movement of the assembled numbers in either direction. Theplates I9, are valso provided with rearwardly extending ears 8 aspreviously described with respect to the plates which have figuresmounted thereon. I'his structure is the same at each end so that theiigures may be centrally located and the blank spaces at each endthereof may be filled in with the plates I9.

If it is desired that the sign be secured directly to the house, I haveprovided the rearwardly extending members 2I on the portion I in therear support having the openings 2Ia therein. One of these near eachvend of the structure will The location g In the particular embodimentshown be sufficient, although any other desired number may be used ifdeemed necessary.

In some cases it may be preferable to mount the sign on a post or rodplaced in the ground and to accomplish this I have provided novelconnecting means as particularly shown in Fig. 6. The post 22 isprovided at its lower end with the smaller rod 23 which extends throughthe post and has each end thereof turned upwardly as in Fig. 1 toprevent removal of the post from the ground. The upper end of the postis preferably made somewhat smaller and is attened slightly as at 24. Ithen provide a clamp which consists of two similar front and rearportions 25 which are recessed vertically at their lower sides and arealso recess-ed horizontally at the upper side thereof. The upperhorizontal portion of the clamp is indicated at 28 and has a contour andrecess therein adapted to receive the lower edge of the sign, whichincludes the flanges 6A and I6 and the portions 5 and I3. In theassembly of this clamp, the front and rear portions thereof, which aresimilar, are clamped around the portions of the sign just mentioned andthe upper end of the post. A screw-threaded bolt 2I is then insertedthrough the lower portion of the clamp and through an opening providedfor that purpose in the upper end of the post and is then secured inplace by the nut 28. It will be seen that this novel means of securingthe sign to the post will' be simple as well as very effective.

It is to be noted that with this novel construction the rearwardlyextending flange I0 on the figures can be made sufliciently wide so thatthe figures themselves will extend forwardly from their supportingplates a considerable distance. From this structure, then, it will beevident that light will be reflected from the various figures eventhough such light is directed yat the sign from either end thereof. Ifthe rays of light reaching the sign are substantially parallel thereto,some of the rays will be reflected by the forwardly extending edges ofthe figures so that` the sign may be viewed regardless of the angle atwhich the light reaches it.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be usedinstead of the one here explained, change being made as regards thestructure herein disclosed, provided, however, that the means stated byany of the `following claims or the equivalent ofsuch stated means beemployed.

1. A sign of the class described comprising, a support, upper and lowerledges on said support extending longitudinally and forwardly thereof,plates having rearwardly extending flanges on opposing edges thereofadapted to contact the upper side of the upper ledge and the lower sideof the lower ledge respectively on said support to thereby support saidplates, a' figure mounted on each plate, and relea'sable clamping meansmounted on the margin of saidsupport and overlying said plates toprevent movement of said plates forwardly from said support.

2. The combination of elements vdefined in claim 1 combined with meansat each end of said support bearing against the vertical edges of saidplates to prevent movement of said plates longitudinally of saidsupport.

3. A sign of the class described comprising, a rear support havingaforwardly extending flange around the periphery thereof,the central partof the support being offset toprov-de a forwardly extending ledge spacedfrom said `flange, .a pluplates having l'reajiwardly projecting earsthereon to Contact said ledges, a frame connected to said support at thefront side thereof, and a rearwardly turned flange on said frame adaptedto bear against said plates to prevent forward movement thereof.

5. The `combination of elements dened in claim 4, combined withforwardly extending ears at each end of said support against which theend plates bear to prevent longitudinal movement thereof.

CORNELIUS HENDRICKS.

